Device for stacking railroad-rails



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S. J. GUSGOTT.

DRViGB FOR STAOKING RAILROAD RAILS, LUMBER, &c. No. 275,763. Patented Apr. 10,1883.

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s; J. GUSOOTT. DEVICE FOR STAGKING RAILROAD RAILS, LUMBER, 6w. No. 275,763. Patented Apr. 10,1883.

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s. J. GUSOOTT. v DEVIGE FOR $TAOKING RAILROAD RAILS, LUMBER, &c. No. 275,763. Patented Apr.10,1883..

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DEVICE FOR STAGKING RAILROAD RAILS, LUMBER, &0. No. 275,763.

. W/X/MsJ E5 %4. aw if UNITED- STATES STEPHEN J. GUSGO'IT,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DEVICE FOR-STACKING RAILROAD-RAILS, LUMBER, 84c.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 275,763, dated April 10, 1883.

Application filed January 11, 18823. (No model.)

of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for piling railroad-rails or similar articles as they are delivered from the mill, and also to loading them from the pile onto cars or wagons; and it consists, in certain combinations of shafts connected by fast and loose clutches, roller-carriers, adjustable skids, and hauling-ropes run ning over adjustable pulleys and fast and loose winding drums or spools, as will be hereinafter more fullydescribed, and pointed outin the claims.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of the invention ar ranged for piling. or stacking the rails. Fig. 2 is a similar view, arranged for transferring them from a stack to a car. Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the Winding-drums and their shifting clutches. Fig. 5 is a similar view of oneof the adjustable guide-pulleys. Fig. 6 is a view of one of the shaft-clutches; and Fig. 7, a side elevation, partly in section, of the tripping device used in loading the rails. In rolling-mills where railroad-rails and similar articles are formed the rails are usually carried off, by a series of rollers set in a frame or track, to any point desired, and then lifted by a number of persons and piled up until wanted, when they are again lifted and loaded upon cars or wagons for hauling away. To perform this labor of stacking and loading by machinery, I use a bed, A, of any desired length, provided with rollers A, upon which the rails are carried ofl". Each roller is supplied 'with a bevel-gear, a, meshing with a similar wheel, a, upon a shaft, A journaled in brackets a on the side of the bed A. This shaft-is divided into sections opposite the differentpoints at which it is desired to stack or load the rails, and the sections are revolved together by means of a shifting clutch, a", upon one section, and a similar clutch-disk, a", made fast upon the other, as will he understood by reference to the drawings.

In rear of the bed A, at either end, are castings B, formed with vertical grooves,in which is arranged a standard, B, having its outer face formed with a series of cogs, b, with which meshes a spur-wheel, 1), upon a crank-shaft, b journa-led in brackets 1) upon the box or casting B. The upper ends of the cogged standards B are surmounted by a cross-arm, B to one end of which, (next the bed A) is hinged an arm, B in the under side of which is a longitudinal groove, 0, which is deeper at its center than at either end, as seen in Fig. 7. The hinge-joint between the cross-arm B and the arm B is on its upper side formed with a shoulder, 0, so that while the hinged arm is free to fall it can only rise to a position horizontal with the cross-head B The hinged arms B rest upon and are supported by two curved arms, 0 O, secured to a rock-shaft, 0, running across the machine, supported by the .adjustable cogged standards B, and provided A are provided with pins 0 upon which are placed bars or skids D of a length sufficient to reach to the pile .upon which the rails are placed. The outer ends of these skids or bars D rest upon the top layer of rails in the pile, and various lengths are required, according as the pile may be higher or lower than the carrier A and upper ends of the standards B.

E E represent four uprights, two of which are placed in front and at either end of the sectional carrier A, and two in a. similar position in rear of the pile of rails. Each of these uprights is provided with a sliding frame, E, provided with a set-screw, e, for securing it at any desired height upon the upright, and formed with an arm, 6, upon which is placed a grooved pulley, e surrounded by a small vertical frame, E and held in position by a pin, 0 passing through the arm 0, as seen by Fig. 5. In the rear of the pile of rails are also arranged two uprights, F F, somewhat higher than the ones E E, and carrying near their upper ends a shaft, F, upon which are two loose drums or spools, G G, each of which'is formed with one clutch-face, g, adapted to engage with and be revolved by the clutches F arranged to turn with and to slide back and forth upon the shaft F.

ff represent two forked shifting-levers engaging the sliding clutches F at one end, and fulcrumed upon a cross-bar, F, extending across the device between the two uprights F and the outer ends of the levers ffare connected by rodsff to the opposite ends of a vertical lever, G, pivoted upon the center of the cross-bar F ()neend of this lastlever, G, is also provided with a shifting-rod, g, extending to a convenient position at one side of the frame.

In operation as many of these sections or devices are used as may be deemed necessary, and the shafts A and 1*" are operated by power from the mill. The rails, as they leave the mill, are carried out by the rollers A to the place at which they are to be piled up, where they are stopped. Each winding-drum G G is provided with a rope or wire cable, which is passed through under the grooved pulleys up on the uprights in rear of the stack or pile and carried forward to the carrier, where the rails are delivered. The ropes are each provided with a two-pronged fork, which is slipped upon the rail between the flange and head, as shown, and the clutches F being thrown into gear with the drums or spools, the cord or rope is wound up, hauling the rail over the arm B cross-head 13 and skid-bars D to any desired position upon the pile, when the drums are again thrown out of gear and the ropes carried back for another rail. It is evident that two or more rails may be handled at once, if desired, and they are easily and rapidly hauled into place, no matter how high or low.

the pile may be.

When it is desired to load the rails from the pile upon a car or wagon the latter is drawn up opposite the carrier A, the hauling-ropes are unrove from the pulleys j ust mentioned, and rove over those upon the uprights at the front of the machine and carried back to the stack, where they are secured to one or more rails, as before described. In addition to the skids D, reaching from the cogged standards to the stack, two other skids, D, are placed in position upon the pins 0', reaching over the carrier to the car, and the cogged standards are raised by means of the spur-wheel and its crank to any desired height, where they are held either by a pawl or by a pin passed through the standards. The weights upon the pendent rods 0 are a little more than enough to balance the weight of the rail or rails to be moved, and when the drums are started these rails are hauled over the skids D to the arms B The attendant then lifts upon the weighted rods 0 and the hinged arms B fall, allowing the rails to slide down the skids D to the car or wagon.

It is evident that but little attendance is needed to operate this device, and the rails can be handled much quicker and easier than by the old mode. The same 'deviceisalso applicable to the stacking and loading of lumher or any heavy object of a similar form, and one of the sections may be used for stacking while another is used for loading.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device for stacking railroad-rails, lumber, &c., a carrier for bringing the rails from the mill, in combination with a shaft provided with shifting clutches, and loose winding drums having ropes secured to them, adapted to haul the rails from the carrier to the pile, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, in a machine for stacking railroad-rails and similar articles, of a carrier, skids, or ways over which the rails are slid, and means for hauling them from the carrier to the stack or pile, substantially as described and shown.

3. In a device for loading railroad-rails or lumber, 820., the combination, with the vertically-adj ustable standards provided with two sets of skids or ways, one reaching from the pile or stack to the standards and the other to the car or wagon, with means for hauling the rails, &c., from the stack over the ways to the car, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a device for stacking or loading railroad-rails, &c., a carrier provided with a series of rollers, each having a bevel-gear on one end, in combination with a shaft formed in sections clutched together, and provided with bevel-gears for operating the carrier, substantially as described and shown. 7

5. In a device for stacking and loading railroad-rails, &c., the combination of the vertically-adjustable standards B, having a crosshead, B and hinged arm B with the supporting-arms G, secured upon a shaft and provided with weighted arms 0 substantially as shown and described.

6. In a device for stacking and loading railroad-rails, &c., the standards B, provided with a hinged arm, B supported by the arm 0 of a rock-shaft, 0, adapted to be tripped, as desired, and the skids or ways D D, in combination with the winding-drums G, provided with hauling ropes, and the uprights E, having adjustable guide-pulleys, substantially as described and shown.

7. In a device for stacking and loading railroad-rails, &c., the shaft F, having shifting clutches F and winding drums or spools G, in combination with the shifting-levers ff, fulcrumed upon the main frame, connectingrodsff, lever G, and shifting-rod 9, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

8. The frame or band E, formed with an arm, 0', and provided with a set-screw, e, in combination with the grooved pulley 6 frame E adapted to pass over the arm a and clasp the band E, and the pin 6 all constructed and arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

ICC

9. A device for stacking and loading rail road-rails, lumber, or similar objects, consist ing essentially of a series of rollers forming a carrier, operated by a sectional shaft clutched bined and arranged to operate substantially together, by which any number of rollers in the carrier may be operated or allowed to lie idle, adjustable standards carrying the ends of skids or ways reaching to the stack or to the load, uprights at each corner of the device, provided with adjustable guide-pulleys, and a shaftat one end of the device, provided with loose winding drums and ropes, shiftingclutches, and means for engaging or disengaging the clutches and drums at will, all com- 5 as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

STEPHEN J. GUSGOTT. Witnesses:

J. E. STEVENSON, FRANK J OHNSON. 

